Success After Sixty’s Post

My life, much like most people’s lives, is bookmarked by big achievements. You graduate high school, you get into college, you graduate college, get a job, get married, have a kid, retire, etc. These are all important milestones and worthy of celebration. But recently, I have been paying more attention to what happens in between these big achievements. The transition periods where, seemingly, all the work is done. It’s during these periods when we have to show up regularly and sit down and grind. Where we have to develop practices and systems that help us do the work as well as navigate the distractions that are such an integral part of our lives. These transition spaces can often go unnoticed, but I feel like they are the more noteworthy parts of our lives. For the past few years, many people have taken notice of Jerry Seinfeld’s documentary Comedian. If you haven’t seen this doc, it goes behind the scenes to show what it takes Jerry to craft a one-hour comedy special, joke by joke. It’s a great doc and one of the things I’ve learned from it is that I love Jerry’s process more than I love his comedy. His work ethic, his sense of integrity, and his creative process. All of these things I have mad respect for. But he’s not my favorite comedian. It’s OK comedy, in my opinion, but I laugh out loud harder at Chappelle. My point here is that we get to witness his transition from the last episode of his incredibly successful sitcom career to building a whole new comedy routine, bit by bit. The space in between two major achievements. So, if you’re in that messy middle like I am, take a moment to stop and notice all that you’re putting into this transition period. You’re showing up every day, doing the work, adhering to all the little systems and practices you’ve put in place so you can get the thing done. Transitions don’t always feel as good as the milestones, but I’d argue they are just as, if not more important than the big accomplishments. It’s not sustainable to rely on the victories to get you through the day-to-day grind. You have to learn to love the transitions if you want to do your thing for long. Follow Parker Gates for more content like this.

No matter what your job is, or how many hours you work each week, you can still make your family your top priority. We talk about it on this episode of Creating Disney Magic. https://lnkd.in/eaSB3nJU

As I enter my 15th year as a stand up comedian, I thought I’d share some key insights stand up taught me that I carry into my work. 1. You gotta bomb to get good. Not every joke or idea works, but you can’t just run away from a bad outing. Instead look at why it might not have gone your way and what you could do to make it better for next time. 2. Read the room. Before presenting or doing a set, take a moment to look around and get a feel for the room, try to read the audience and use it to hit your points home. 3. Don’t be married to an idea. You got an idea or joke, you tried it out. It didn’t land. You tried it again, it didn’t land. Maybe it’s just not a good joke or idea. You might like it but feedback says otherwise. 4. Respect producers and be on time. No one likes a comic who is flaky and not dependable. Be respectful of call time, your set time. Don’t go over no matter how good it’s going. Respect time. 5. Take feedback not just the bad. As a comedian you can have 50 people tell you, you had a great set and still walk away remembering the one person who said they didn’t like a joke. Don’t disregard positive feedback and fixate on the negative. If you never tried stand up or even improv, I highly recommend it. The rush you get from a good show is a feeling that everyone should experience at least once in their life. #standupcomedy #performing

The last Thursday of the month at Cherry Reds in Brum is a great night. It’s when The Late Night Sweet Shop runs, and it’s one of my favourite nights on local comedy circuit. Pure alternative comedy. Richard Dadd - who started it all - totally inspired me to try a character and do something a little different. Dr Dave did pop up earlier this year and the lessons from that night have helped with the character development. Still a long way to go. But putting him up there and trying different things has been hugely useful. Some of the stuff on stage worked very well. Other stuff was a bit* pants. Which always reminds me of a phrase about comedy which you could probably take and throw into anything you wanted. “If you make them, laugh it’s your fault. If you don’t make them laugh, it’s your fault”. Want to know what the rules of Cherry Red’s A&E are? You’d better come along and check out one of my gigs. *more like total pants and didn't work at all ——— I’m Dave 👋🏼 An “Irritatingly good speaker” helping business owners to speak with authenticity, fun and confidence. Speaker Coach - Professional Speaker - Tattooed Brummie with a beard. If speaking is something you want to work on, then we should probably have a chat. See the 🔔 on my profile? Give it a ding if you would like to see more of my stuff. Or if you fancy it, then let’s connect 🙏🏼 🤔 Useful post? Give it a share. ♻️ #davethecoach

Comedy isn’t for everyone. My wife often argues that it isn’t for me. When salespeople who want to build their brand on LinkedIn ask me “What should I do if I’m not funny?” I have a simple answer: “Don’t be.” When it comes to #socialselling, you’ve got to find what works for you. It doesn’t have to be humour. If you watch my content, all I’m doing is telling the story of how difficult sales is without Salesloft. I use comedy because that’s a passion of mine. If you’re a seller, you can replicate this! Do it in YOUR voice in YOUR way. Here’s what you do: Take the problem your product/service solves. Think about INTERESTING ways that you can bring that story to life on LinkedIn. Do that, consistently, and your content will start to compliment your outbound sales process. (#synergy) After a while (be patient) you’ll start to see your content impacting your sales. (That’s when things get exciting.) I believe EVERY salesperson can do this and become a thought leader in their space. Don't try to copy anyone else.  Use your passions (otherwise you'll get bored) Be your own type of #socialseller Full episode link in the comments. 👊 Thanks for having me on the show Daniel Disney! 👏 TLDR: Comedy is truth and pain. Use both in your sales content and you can’t go too far wrong.

Have you seen 𝐼𝑛𝑣𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝐴𝑛𝑛𝑎 on Netflix? You definitely should. While the binge-watching show is mostly for entertainment, there's plenty you can learn from what you watch! 1. 𝐶ℎ𝑎𝑠𝑒 𝑦𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑑𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑚𝑠. 𝑅𝑒𝑙𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑙𝑒𝑠𝑠𝑙𝑦. Anna is many things, but one thing you can admire about her is her tenacity. If she wants something, she goes out to get it. She BELIEVES that she deserves this and more. Maybe the only thing standing between us and our dreams is… ourselves. This show reminds us that having a strong belief in our abilities and dreams can drive us to achieve what we desire, despite the obstacles in our way. 2. 𝐼𝑡'𝑠 𝑎 𝑚𝑎𝑛'𝑠 𝑤𝑜𝑟𝑙𝑑… 𝑜𝑟 𝑖𝑠 𝑖𝑡? Anna realises that men run the world, but she doesn't use her sex appeal to get ahead. Instead, she uses her wit and intellect. These two can be more powerful than you imagine. This highlights the importance of intelligence and cleverness over superficial attributes, teaching us that true power comes from within and can be harnessed regardless of gender. 3. 𝐸𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑦𝑜𝑛𝑒 ℎ𝑎𝑠 𝑎 𝑐ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑘 𝑖𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑖𝑟 𝑎𝑟𝑚𝑜𝑢𝑟 If you're going to compete, you need to find out what makes someone tick. Pay close attention to your competitors. While I'm not asking you to commit crimes or play dirty, you can always use your competitors' shortcomings to your advantage. This lesson emphasises the value of strategic thinking and the importance of understanding the weaknesses of others to navigate your path to success more effectively. 4. 𝑇𝑎𝑘𝑒 𝑎𝑐𝑐𝑜𝑢𝑛𝑡𝑎𝑏𝑖𝑙𝑖𝑡𝑦 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑦𝑜𝑢𝑟𝑠𝑒𝑙𝑓 Our upbringing heavily influences the person we become. Some of us had a rough childhood or were never taught right from wrong. But as adults, we must break free from our past and strive to be better people, regardless of our circumstances. This reinforces the idea that we are responsible for our lives and choices and can rise above our backgrounds to shape our futures. 𝐼𝑛𝑣𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝐴𝑛𝑛𝑎 isn't just a show; it's a lesson in ambition, strategy, and self-accountability. Watch it for the drama, but learn from it to conquer your own dreams. For more stories, follow #thatbespokeguy, XAVIER MAH. . . #PR #PRconsultant #PRstrategist #Review #Lessons #Ambition #InventingAnna #brandconsultant #brandstrategist #dramaseries

Self-awareness is crucial not just for behavior in the workplace, but for being a comedian as well. When I began comedy, I was not self-aware and more concerned with acting funny versus actually being funny. Once I developed my self-awareness, my ability to create material increased and so did my ability to edit it. It humbled me and made it easier for me to eliminate what wasn't working and add what was working. It became easier to understand how my set needed to flow. I go in hard during the opening bit of my set because it sets the tone for the rest of it. However, if some audiences are taken aback by it and not loosened up to it, I add in ways to soften the blow by falling back on my self-awareness. This is usually done with a self-deprecation joke or acknowledging my bluntness humorously. Once they loosen up, then the rest of my set is as smooth as butter. If it wasn't for self-awareness, I'd be stuck in the same spot with my set and not competing in the World Series of Comedy or performing weekly at Planet Hollywood. However, the more I recorded my material and studied how people reacted to my set, I was able to structure it to be more effective. Self-awareness is critical for comedy just as it is in the workplace. It's important to really study how your words and actions come across to others to understand the impression you're making. The more self-aware you are, the better your opportunities will be. #selfawareness #comedy #career

Has anyone watched the Ellen DeGenere’s Comedy Show on Netflix? First, let me say that I think she’s very funny and I just love her!! 😂❤️ But as a leadership development coach, I couldn’t help notice how she used the Netflix comedy platform to defend the cancellation of her Ellen Show from a victim’s point of view. I agree with this review in the link below and share it because it’s an opportunity for us all to look at how we handle set-backs, losses, and criticisms in our own life. Reflection: When you have set-backs, losses, and criticisms, do you self-reflect and ask yourself, “How might I learn from this experience and grow?” Or, do you react from your ego and defend yourself, switching and blaming others? (even with humor). I’m going to send Ellen a copy of my new book “SHIFT: Mastering Leadership from Ego to Enlightenment at Cheetah Speed,” coming out Oct. 23rd. It addresses the 3 Musketeers of the Ego, how to recognize your own ego, detach from it, and become more intuitively-aligned for greater personal and professional growth. I hope you get my new book too. I’m on a mission to help leaders #SHIFT 💪🏻❤️🐆🙏 #LeadershipDevelopment #Ego #Enlightenment https://lnkd.in/gARpUmkK

I remember one time I was at a comedy show with about 9 of my friends. We were close to the front, but not on the actual front row as that’s a no no lol. The comedian asked if anyone in the audience had their birthday coming up. Turns out it was two days before my birthday so my friend LJ pointed right at me. The comedian then started asking questions and making jokes, as they do! As you can imagine it took me by surprise as I didn't expect to be talking to a comedian with a room full of people. He was asking me the usual, where I'm from, if was single, etc, everything he said he made into a joke which was funny. Although I was always teaching classes and speaking in front of a lot of people, I still felt nervous at the time. If you'd have asked me before the show, would I be able to handle speaking in front of everyone, I would have said hell no! Turns out it was fine, it wasn't as daunting as I'd have imagined. This is the same approach I take with my clients to overcome any anxiety they may have. It's easy to overthink situations, especially the ones you've never been successful in. So they may think well "if I get a coach, he'll force me to do something I don't like" - not true. You may also think "if I go to the gym, people will look and point at me because I don't know what I'm doing" - not true. The list is endless. Overthinking situations is a prime reason why a lot of my clients struggle to get started. Which is why having a coach can more often or not be the reason you do achieve your goals. And check this out, if you're ready to overcome your own anxiety and fears then drop me a with the keyword "READY". We can have a quick chat and see if I can help you move forwards.

Each chapter of my Contentment Commitment book is anchored to a TV show. I did this to make it more relatable and less “sciency”.  In the chapter focused on the Partner dimension of Contentment, I used a quote from the character Carrie Bradshaw on the TV series “Sex and the City.”  I love how it highlights that having a Partner is not a goal in and of itself, and that it offers the possibility of making us more - or less - happy. I often get the question, “If I don’t have a Partner, can I just skip that chapter?” While having a Partner is not a requisite to happiness, if you aspire to find / lose a Partner or have any friends, family members, or co-workers with Partners, it’s useful to understand the different aspects of that relationship and how it affects happiness - inside and outside of work.   Happy people make better friends, partners, parents and co-workers. #happiness #worklifebalance #contentmentcommitment